June 15, 2012 11:51am ETPersonal Robots Get Boost from $25 Million Investment Fund Dmitry Grishin Robotics Dmitry Grishin, co-founder of a Russia's largest Internet company, has launched a new investment fund focused on personal robots. Credit: Grishin Robotics View full size image

Robots seem more suited for research labs or corporations rather than U.S. homes, but experts once believed the same about computers before the PC put computing power in everyone's hands. A Russian entrepreneur hopes to speed up the robotics revolution by founding a $25 million investment fund in New York City focused exclusively on personal robots.

The technology already exists to make personal robots a reality, said Dmitry Grishin, co-founder of the Mail.Ru Group. Grishin wants to help bridge the funding gap to help personal robotics go from technology demonstrations to consumer products on store shelves — and he's bringing along the fast-development mindset that allowed him to grow Russia's largest Internet company.

"Industrial robotics is pretty much developed," Grishin said. "Now is a good time to bring robotics to millions of people — personal robotics related to people's general lives and for the mass market."

Industrial robots had worldwide sales of $5.7 billion compared with personal robot sales of $538 million in 2010, according to the International Federation of Robotics. But the robotics association expects the fast-growing personal robot market to reach $4.3 billion by 2014.

Grishin Robotics seeks to invest in the growing personal robotics market. This image shows prototype personal robots at Cornell University.Credit: Cornell University Robot Learning LabView full size image

Personal robots could act as home security systems, remote-controlled avatars for working from home, or even personal drones flying around to take home videos or wedding pictures, Grishin said. Such robots may not prove as all-around capable as the Jetsons' robot maid Rosie, but they would join a growing array of personal robots that include iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaners.

The newly founded Grishin Robotics would invest about $1 million or $2 million in small- and medium-size personal robotics companies. Such companies can have trouble getting venture capital funding because personal robotics is a newer, riskier market — venture capitalists prefer to invest in proven industrial robotics companies.

"A big problem for venture capitalists is that they focus on limited time investments [that pay off within] five to seven years," Grishin told InnovationNewsDaily. "In this area, personal money is ready for risk-taking."

But Grishin is providing more than just funding to bring personal robots to market. He also believes his background as CEO of an Internet company can help robotics companies get beyond the engineering issues and market their products to meet consumer demands.

"My Internet background was focused on mass-market problems involving millions of users," Grishin said. "I have expertise in this area."

This story was provided by InnovationNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. You can follow InnovationNewsDaily Senior Writer Jeremy Hsu on Twitter @ScienceHsu. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

个人专用机器人获得 2500万美的投资基金 - 德米特里·格里申机器人

2012年6月15号上午11时51 ETPersonal机器人获得加速从$ 2500万投资基金德米特里·格里申Robotics 德米特里·格里申，一个俄罗斯最大的互联网公司的创始人之一，已推出一种新的投资基金，专注于个人机器人。图片来源：格里申机器人查看原图

机器人似乎更适合于研究实验室或公司，而不是美国家庭，但专家认为，一旦对电脑相同的PC把计算能力在每个人的手中了。一位俄罗斯企业家希望通过在纽约市创立$ 25万美??元的投资基金，以加快机器人革命专注于个人机器人.

这项技术已经存在，使个人机器人成为现实，说梅德格里申，邮件的共同创始人.RU集团。格里申希望帮助填补资金缺口，以帮助从技术示范到商店的货架上和mdash消费类产品的个人机器人去;和他一起快速发展的心态，使他成长俄罗斯最大的互联网公司.

u0026 QUOT带来;工业机器人是非常发达，与QUOT;格里申说。 ＆QUOT;现在是一个好时机，使机器人以百万计的人＆mdash;关系到人民的总体生活和面向大众市场的个人机器人＆QUOT;

工业机器人拥有全球销售额$ 5.7十亿为$ 5.38亿2010个人机器人的销售相比，根据国际机器人联合会。但机器人协会预计快速增长的个人机器人市场将达到$ 4.3十亿2014年

格里申机器人寻求投资在不断增长的个人机器人市场。此图片显示的原型个人机器人在康奈尔University.Credit：康奈尔大学机器人学习LabVIEW完整大小的图片

个人机器人可以作为家庭安全系统，远程控制的化身在家工作，甚至个人的无人驾驶飞机飞来飞去带回家视频或婚纱照，格里申表示。这种机器人却未必全能能力作为摩登家庭“机器人女佣罗茜，但他们会加入个人机器人，包括iRobot公司的Roomba吸尘器吸尘器.

新成立的格里申机器人将投资约$ 100万$ 200万日益阵列在小型和中等规模的个人机器人公司。这些公司可以有麻烦的风险投资资金，因为个人机器人是一个较新的，高风险的市场＆mdash;风险投资商更愿意投资于成熟的工业机器人公司.

u0026 QUOT;对于风险投资家的一个大问题是，它们集中在有限的时间内投资[即内还清that pay off within格里申告诉InnovationNewsDaily。 ＆QUOT;在这方面，个人的钱已经准备好冒险＆QUOT;

但格里申正提供的不仅仅是资金，使个人机器人推向市场。他还认为他的背景的互联网公司的首席执行官能够帮助机器人公司获得超越工程问题和销售其产品，以满足消费者的需求.

u0026 [我的互联网背景的重点是涉及数以百万计的用户，＆QUOT大众市场的问题;格里申说。 [我有这方面的专业知识和QUOT;

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